ICCCFS will feature reports by leading researchers from the BRICS countries, Indonesia, and the United States.

Gene Takle is the director of the Climate Science Program at Iowa State University, where he also serves as a Professor of Atmospheric Science in the Department of Geological and Atmospheric Science and a Professor of Agricultural Meteorology in the Department of Agronomy. His research focuses on regional climate modeling and the impacts of climate change. He is a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society, a member of the Board of Trustees of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (2010 - ), Commissioner for Education and Human Resources at the American Meteorological Society (2009 - ), the Atmospheric Science Editor at Earth Science Reviews (1997 - ), and an Associate Editor at the Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology (2005 - ). Dr. Takle received his BA from Luther College and his PhD in Solid State Physics from Iowa State University.

South Africa's Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries organized a gathering this week of Africa's agriculture ministers to push for the inclusion of agriculture on The 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) agenda. In the past, international climate change negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) have failed to integrate agriculture into proposed climate treaties.

"Agriculture should be accorded the due priority it deserves, especially in Africa," said Tina Joemat-Pettersson in a Mail & Guardian interview. "In the primary text of climate change we have never seen a single line on agriculture and we need to change this to a global initiative."

The event, Climate-Smart Agriculture: A Call to Action (September 13-14 in Johannesburg, South Africa) was organized in part by the World Bank, the African Union and the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad). ICCCFS organizers Gerald Nelson (IFPRI) and Bruce Campbell (CCAFS) attended the event to present new findings.

In an article in South Africa's Business Day newspaper, Loyiso Langeni, discusses the country's plan to reduce carbon emissions though innovative carbon capture and storage technology. Read the full article below or on the Business Day website.

SA AIMS to take the lead in the Brics bloc of developing countries in reducing carbon emissions through a five-year, $1bn, Norwegian- managed experimental carbon capture and storage technology.

President Jacob Zuma ended last week’s two-day state visit to Norway by committing SA to invest more financial and human capital in developing the technology.

"This (technology) brings a very big hope to countries like SA that have used deposits of coal and this particular technology could be used to develop countries without creating emissions that are going to affect the globe," he said.

A new PriceWaterhouseCoopers study, Economic Views-Global, projects that the G7 economies will contribute less to world GDP growth in the next two years than the BRIC economies. It said that the four countries that make up the bloc--Brazil, Russia, India and China--are expected to account for 40% of world GDP growth over 2011 and 2012. This compares to the G7, where a sluggish recovery means they are likely to account for just 34% of global growth over 2011 and 2012.

ICCCFS will feature reports by leading researchers from the BRICS countries, Indonesia, and the United States.

Since 2001, Sergey Kiselev has served as the head of the Department of Agricultural Economics at Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU) in Moscow, Russia. He is also an Advisor to the Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation. Before joining the university, he served as the Vice-Minister for Agrarian Reform at the Russian Ministry of Agriculture and Food. He has published widely in Russian and international journals and has been widely recognized for his work. He is and has been a member of various government bodies and professional groups, including the Scientific Council of the State Committee on Statistics of the Russian Federation (1984-present); the Working Group of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation on the WTO issues (2001- current); and the Council on Agrarian Policy of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation (1997 - current). Dr. Kiselev received his Ph.D. from Moscow State University.

ICCCFS will feature reports by leading researchers from the BRICS countries, Indonesia, and the United States.

Dr. Elisio Contini, an agricultural economist, has worked in various positions at the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) since 1976. He currently serves as the Deputy of the Strategic Studies & Training Center. He has worked in the preparation and evaluation of international organizations' projects in Latin American countries (IADB and World Bank), and has been Adviser to the President of Embrapa since 1995. He was also an Economics and Business Administration Guest Professor at several Brazilian Universities. Since 1998, he has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the CIAT and Executive Director of the Brazilian Rural Economist Association. He has published 4 books, 30 scientific and technical publications and more than 40 technical reports. Dr. Contini received his Ph.D. from the University of Münster.

ICCCFS will feature reports by leading researchers from the BRICS countries, Indonesia, and the United States.

Ir. Nono Rusono, PG.Dip.Agr.Sc., MSi is the Director of Food and Agriculture in the Ministry for National Development Planning/National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas). He has worked mainly in food and agricultural directorate in Bappenas since 1988. He has served as the Head of Food Division, the Head of Agricultural Infrastructure Division, and the Head of Lifestock Division. He has worked in the formulation, monitoring and evaluation of national policies on food and agriculture in Indonesia. Ir. Nono Rusono, PG.Dip.Agr.Sc., MSi received his master degree in Agricultural Economic at Bogor Agriculture University.

ICCCFS will feature reports by leading researchers from the BRICS countries, Indonesia, and the United States.

Dr. Sikhalazo Dube is a Program Manager: Rangelands Management at the ARC-API. Prior to joining the ARC he was a Senior Scientist (Ecosystems Modeling) at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Pretoria in the Global Change and Ecosystems Dynamics Research Group. His research, student supervision and policy inputs focus on rangelands ecology: the dialogue between science, resources users and policy formulators, development of decision support tools and mapping of resources in light of a changing world. He recently participated, at SADC level, in the review of the Regional Agriculture Policy. He is a member and Immediate Past President of the GSSA. His publications include over 40 articles in scientific journals, proceedings, books and chapters in books. He is an author and co-author of several technical reports. His work has been presented in over 20 local and international conferences. Dr. Dube holds a Ph.D. in Rangeland Ecology and Management (2005) from Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA. He holds a number of other professional qualifications.

ICCCFS will feature reports by leading researchers from the BRICS countries, Indonesia, and the United States. They include: Tang Huajun, CAAS (China), Roger Beachy (United States), Bob Scholes, The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR; South Africa), Elisio Contini, Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA; Brazil), Sergey Kiselev, Lomonosov Moscow State University (Russia), and Endah Murniningtyas, National Development Planning Agency (Indonesia). Roger Beachy was unable to attend ICCCFS, but he was one of the authors of the U.S. report.

Dr. Roger Beachy recently served as the Director of the National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The renowned plant scientist is also the founding president of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, Missouri. Recognized for his work in molecular virology, gene expression, and virus-resistant transgenic plants, Beachy is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and Science Academy, among other organizations. He is a recipient of numerous prizes, including the Wolf Prize in Agriculture. Dr. Beachy has a Ph.D. plant pathology from Michigan State University.

The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) jointly hosted the International Conference on Climate Change and Food Security (ICCCFS) November 6-8, 2011 in Beijing, China. This conference provided a forum for leading international scientists and young researchers to present their latest research findings, exchange their research ideas, and share their experiences in the field of climate change and food security. The event included technical sessions, poster sessions, and social events. (View some of the presentations here.) The conference results and recommendations were presented at the global climate talks in Durban, South Africa during an official side event on December 1. Read news coverage of the recommendations here.

About ICCCFS

The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) are jointly hosting the International Conference on Climate Change and Food Security (ICCCFS) November 6-8, 2011 in Beijing, China. Read more...